


dreams in august

by SunflowerEnthusiast



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 18:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20475326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunflowerEnthusiast/pseuds/SunflowerEnthusiast
Summary: Itaru has a conversation with a ghost in his dreams.





	dreams in august

**Author's Note:**

> I'll regret writing this in a hot second, but I just really wanted to write August and Itaru talking. Written with no pairings in mind, but I guess if you squint you can call the ending Chikage > Itaru. 
> 
> This was supposed to have more conversations (Itaru was supposed to have a dream about August every Saturday in August, so 5, technically), but I needed to finish it before August ended (which I did, but I didn't post it fast enough), so. Maybe I'll come back and write more chapters for it one day, but it's technically a finished product. Also I really need to stop writing fics that make me even more depressed about August.

Itaru yawns, glancing at the time. It's 5 AM, and he doesn't have work today so he was planning to game all night, but he's starting to feel sleepy. His roommate, who also doesn't sleep much, already retired about two hours ago, so maybe he should follow in his footsteps. He saves his game and then leaves the room to use the bathroom before he goes to sleep. 

When he comes back to the room, he heads straight up to his bed. He settles in, putting his phone down next to his pillow, and then closes his eyes.  


* * *

When Itaru opens his eyes, he's confused by his surroundings.

First of all, having lucid dreams or odd dreams isn't unfamiliar to him—it happens rather often. However, assuming this is a dream, this one seems very odd. 

He's in what appears to be a candy shop, with shelves full of snacks and candy around him. The shop is empty, and no one is behind the register, but off to the side is a table with two chairs. One of the chairs is occupied, and its occupant is looking up at Itaru in surprise. 

Itaru has never seen this person before, but it's hard to imagine that his brain could come up with such minute details like this. But, if this isn't his imagination, then… 

They're a man maybe around the same age as Itaru, and he has an odd hair color… maybe pale green? His eyes are a clear purple, and he's wearing black clothes. He seems surprised by Itaru's appearance, which is also odd. You'd think that if this was a dream, then the person who seems to be waiting for Itaru wouldn't be surprised to see him. 

“Um.” Itaru awkwardly looks around the room. “This is…?” 

The other person blinks. “Who are you?” He asks, warily, standing up from the table. Now that he's standing, Itaru notices that he's roughly the same height as himself. Also, he kind of… looks like Itaru. The resemblance is slight, but it's there—the other has the same hairstyle as Itaru, somehow his facial features are a bit similar to Itaru's, and as he mentioned before, he's about the same height as himself. But, still. It's clear that the other man is someone Itaru has never seen before. 

“Um…” As confusing as this is, Itaru feels like he should answer the other man, so he does. “My name is Chigasaki Itaru.” 

“Chigasaki… You're Japanese?” The other man seems surprised. Now that Itaru thinks about it, he's not sure if this man is Japanese as well, which makes their being able to communicate strange. Then again, this is a dream… probably. 

Itaru nods. “Um… Can I ask you who you are…?” Even if Itaru asks him who he is, if this is a dream, he probably won't remember, but… Considering how real this feels, maybe it would be better to learn his name. 

The other man still seems wary, but he eventually seems to decide Itaru isn't threatening (which, tbh, he's really not). “My name is August,” he answers, surprising Itaru. He blinks. August. August? Like, the 8 th month in English August?  _ That _ August? What a weird name… “Why are you here?” 

That's something Itaru would like to know, too. “I’m… dreaming?” Itaru's answer comes out as more of a question than a statement, which makes August furrow his brow. “I mean, this feels like a dream? And the last thing I remember is lying down to sleep? But also I've never seen you before, but you're very… um… realistic…” Itaru trails off, unsure where he's going with this. What's the point of telling a character in a dream that he's 'realistic'? Unless this isn't a dream and one of those infamous MANKAI mysteries… 

But in that case, why this person? Itaru's never met him before, but if this is one of those mysteries, he assumes this person is connected to Itaru in some way. He could maybe be a former member of the company or a person that's familiar to someone Itaru knows… Going down that line of thought, considering the odd name and the general atmosphere of this person… 

… Hisoka… and Chikage?

August frowns as he considers Itaru's words. “A dream…” He muses, glancing at Itaru out of the corner of his eye. “But I would think I'd have some say in that? After all, I'm not 'human' anymore.” 

Itaru blinks. Uh… “Huh?” 

August seems amused by Itaru's dumbfounded reaction. “I’m a ghost; as in, I'm already dead. Because of that, I do have some say over if I appear in someone's dream or not, but I have no recollection of a 'Chigasaki Itaru,' so I have no idea why you're dreaming of me.” 

Oh. 

… Wait. 

“You're… dead?” Itaru asks, hesitantly. August just nods. Okay, now he has no idea what to think of his theory, so maybe he'll put that aside for now. Itaru's really not sure of what he's supposed to say to a dead person he accidentally met in a dream, so they fall into an awkward silence. 

If his theory is right, and August is related to someone he knows from the dorms (most likely Hisoka and Chikage), then he's not sure what to do. This is information he wouldn't be able to learn from Chikage, because Chikage really seems to dislike talking about his past. Itaru isn't that close to Hisoka, so he probably wouldn't have learned about August from him, either. Though, his theory could still be wrong…

Luckily, August breaks the silence. “You don't have to treat me specially or anything just because I'm dead, okay?” August prompts Itaru. If August himself says that, then he guesses it's fine. Itaru agrees to his request with a nod. Hopefully Itaru is able to act normally around him. “Okay, good. Now, I have some questions for you.” 

As much as Itaru would also like to ask August some questions, he figures August kind of has more authority based on the fact that he's the ghost, and Itaru is sort of the one intruding on him, so… Itaru decides to take a seat, and August also sits back down. 

Taking that as a sign that Itaru's willing to talk, August starts his questioning. “What’s your daily occupation? If you're not someone I know from when I was alive, then we must be connected somewhere,” he points out, and Itaru can't help but perk up a little. At least he wasn't the only one who thought that. 

“Ah, actually, that's what I thought, too,” Itaru confesses. “My day job is working at a trading company. Other than that, I also work as an actor.” 

August seems taken aback. “A trading company… and an actor?” He asks, befuddled. Itaru nods, wondering if the reason why he's so surprised is because his theory is right. August seems to pause, re-evaluate Itaru, and then asks, slowly, “Do you know Utsuki Chikage?” 

Ah. 

He knew it. 

The sadness and loneliness he's seen in those two's expressions… He's sure that August is who they were thinking of when he saw them like that. Even if he's always had a feeling that something sad had happened in their pasts, having it reconfirmed like this is kind of… overwhelming. He has no idea what to say. 

But August is still waiting for his response, so he swallows, nodding a bit. “Chikage-san is my senpai at the trading company, but he joined the acting troupe I'm in as well a year ago.” Itaru debates for a moment and then tacks on, “He’s also my roommate, so we can never get rid of each other.” Itaru tries for a laugh, but it sounds kind of hollow since he has no idea what to do about this whole situation. 

“So you're…” August trails off in thought, studying Itaru's expression. Hopefully he's not making a weird face, but considering how odd this situation is, he might be. “You’re part of Chikage and Hisoka's new family?” 

Family. To be honest, Itaru doesn't consider himself particularly close to his own family, but he doesn't think they're that distant, either. Still, coming to MANKAI Company and joining the Spring Troupe has taught him how… warm other people can be. It's not like he was ever mistreated by his family (maybe by his sister, but that's a whole different issue), but because of his parents being busy and Itaru preferring to hole up in his room, he doesn't have very many memories of spending 'quality' time with his family. 

That's why being here is so… different for him. There's always someone waiting to greet him with a warm smile when he comes home, and there's always someone around to talk to that's (usually) willing to listen to him, whether he's venting or talking about something normal. Even if he has his own family, and he's not like a lot of the others in the Spring Troupe who don't have families, he knows that he's part of the 'family' that they speak of so highly. 

And it's nice. He feels honored to be a part of their family. 

He finally feels like he can relax a little, and he smiles softly. “Mm. Yeah, I'm a part of their new family. They might be a handful, but everyone here cares about them all the same.” 

August seems to find something in Itaru's expression, and he returns Itaru's smile, closing his eyes. “That makes me happy to hear. Thank you, Itaru,” August opens his eyes, grinning at Itaru. And the smile is a little too bright, a little too much like the sun, but Itaru manages to face it head-on, and he bows his head. 

“I care about them, too. It's my honor to be a part of their family.” 

And, honestly, that's something that Itaru wouldn't normally say, but these are extraordinary circumstances. Besides, it's true, and if he can't be honest when he's awake, he might as well be honest when he's seeing someone in a dream. 

August smiles. “I see. Well, because you've told me about you, and it doesn't seem like you're lying, I should tell you about myself. I'm August, Chikage and Hisoka's family. As I mentioned before, I'm already dead, but when you wake up later, can I ask you not to mention this dream? They might not believe you anyway, but knowing Chikage, he might get paranoid about why you know about me, and I don't want to cause trouble between you guys.” 

Ah… Itaru wasn't planning on mentioning this dream to anyone else, anyway, but August has a good point. Chikage definitely seems like he wouldn't believe Itaru found all this out from a dream, and he'd press him until he 'confesses' how he found out about August. 

Well, that's assuming that this is all real. It's completely possible that this is all made-up by Itaru's mind. Sure, the setting fits well, what with there being a person in Chikage and Hisoka's past that they lost, but his brain could just be making up scenarios for their past. Still… this feels too real to be just a dream. Itaru's sure that there has to be some truth to this meeting. He wants to believe that August is real and what he's telling him is true. 

So Itaru nods, deciding that right now, he'll believe in this 'dream.’ “Okay, I won't say anything. I can totally see Senpai hounding me about why I know about you, anyway,” Itaru deadpans, tempted to shudder at the thought. He definitely doesn't want Chikage coming after him for that. 

August chuckles at Itaru's reaction, sending him an amused glance. “Judging by your reaction, you're familiar with Chikage's bad habits.” 

Itaru scoffs, recalling Chikage's behavior toward himself. “Yeah, I mean, he's always so nice to just about everyone else, but when it comes to me, he's so hard on me. He's always making fun of me and dissing me,” Itaru complains, rolling his eyes in exasperation as he remembers all the times Chikage has threatened him (which is a lot). 

But August seems surprised. “Chikage’s being nice?” He asks, almost as if he's amazed, which, honestly, might be a valid reaction. 

When Itaru thinks about, Chikage's default public personality is similar to his own, which essentially means that he reeks of fake kindness. But, setting that aside, Itaru really believes that Chikage is being nice to everyone because he cares about them. Though, judging by August's reaction… “Was Senpai mean to you and Hisoka?” It's Itaru's turn to be surprised. He already knew Chikage has a very dry attitude toward Hisoka, but he thought it might be different with August. 

August furrows his brow in thought. “Well, we both knew he was a softie deep down to people he cares about, but he's usually not honest, you know?” 

“Ah, I get that. He's like that with Hisoka,” Itaru nods sagely, understanding what August is getting at. Chikage usually nitpicks at Hisoka, but through all his complaining, he still looks after him by carrying him back to his room or draping a blanket over him when he's sleeping. And as much as Itaru would like to say, “hey, maybe he's like that with me, too,” he knows that he's not. Chikage wouldn't leave Itaru out to dry, but he also pretty much never spoils Itaru. Isn't Itaru supposed to be his son in the Spring Troupe family setup? This treatment sucks. 

“Right? He's always bickering with Hisoka, but I know they care about each other. Well, it's nice to hear that they haven't changed,” August smiles warmly, eyes full of affection as he pictures them. Itaru can't help but pause at the love in his expression. He really cares about them… 

And that thought makes his heart heavy. 

_ “I'm already dead.”  _

… Well, he's always known. 

The world just isn't fair. 

August and Itaru aren't able to talk for much longer before a light begins to shine above Itaru's head. Both August and Itaru look up in surprise, but August arrives at a reasonable conclusion faster. “It must be time for you to go. That's too bad, I wanted to hear more stories.” August seems a little sad. Itaru supposes it must be pretty lonely if August is stuck here. 

“I wish we could have talked longer, too.” And, Itaru actually means it. August is interesting to talk to, and he'd like to talk to him more. Well, part of that might be because he wants to hear embarrassing stories about Chikage, though.

August smiles. “Well, it might be my fault that we met, anyway. You see, a little while before you came, I was thinking about how I'd like to hear more about how Chikage and Hisoka are these days. I don't want to talk to them personally because they need to move on, but I couldn't help this one selfish wish of mine…” August's smile bitters into self-deprecation. 

Itaru doesn't agree with that at all. Wanting to know how they're doing isn't selfish. “It’s not selfish. A lot of people would want to know how their family is doing if they weren't be able to see them anymore,” Itaru tells August. He just smiles, giving a little defeated shrug. Itaru knows that he probably won't be able to get through to August, but he smiles confidently anyway. “You shouldn't feel bad for wanting to know if they're happy. If Chikage-san and Hisoka were to leave, I'd want to know if they're happy, too. Well, not that I'm in the same position as you are…” Itaru trails off. He's probably not nearly as close to Chikage and Hisoka as August is. Maybe he said too much… 

But August just laughs. “You don't have to back down just because you think I have more 'right' than you do to know about them. You're their family, too; you don't need to bow your head to me.” 

Maybe, but it just doesn't feel right. Itaru doesn't say that out loud, though. The light is getting brighter, so he supposes he should be going. As he stands from his chair, August calls out to him, hesitantly. “Can I ask you a favor? It's selfish of me, but…” 

Itaru turns back to him, a little exasperated. “Selfish this, selfish that. Of course you can ask me,” he sighs, earning a relieved smile. 

“Can you look after Chikage and Hisoka for me? It sounds like you're close to Chikage, so asking for Hisoka too might be overstepping, but…” 

He remembers watching Chikage from afar when he first joined their theater, and while he was never able to do anything for him, he still watched as the situation deteriorated. To this day, he regrets not taking more action—sitting back and just observing has always been a bad habit for him. But he also remembers following Chikage back in Zahra. He might not have done much in the end, but he was finally able to take action to support Chikage, even if he was useless for the most part. Even without August asking, he's always—

He grins lopsidedly, shrugging casually. “It’s not asking for too much. Even if they're too much for me, I'll always look out for them.” And then, a little more serious—

“We’re family. I want them to be happy.” 

Not just Chikage and Hisoka, but everyone else in the theater, too. 

August seems surprised, but his eyes soon soften. “Itaru, you're a kind person.” 

Aha. “Far from it.” 

August shakes his head. “It’s true. I can tell. I have great eyes,” August grins, pointing at his strange purple eyes. Itaru can't help but laugh at him since he has no backing behind that statement, yet he seems so confident. 

Itaru doesn't think he'll ever consider himself a kind person, especially when faced with someone like August. Even if they haven't talked for what's felt like a significant amount of time, he can still tell that August is a really kind person. And, you know, maybe he'll never be a kind person like August is, but that doesn't mean he can't keep his promise to August. 

“I have something I want to ask you to do, too,” Itaru says, which makes August blink in surprise. 

“What is it?” 

The light is getting brighter. 

“If you ever want to see Chikage-san or Hisoka, go see them. I might not have had a close family member pass away, but I do know that if they did, I would want to remember them rather than forget. Inevitably, Chikage-san and Hisoka's images of you will start to fade, and I'm sure they'll feel lonely if that happens. It might not be my place to ask this of you, but I hope that you visit them once in a while. Not just for them, but for you, too.” Itaru smiles softly. “I’m sure you must miss them. If you want to see them, go. I'm sure they'll be just as happy to see you.” 

August blinks slowly. And then… tears fall from his eyes, one after another. Itaru panics, realizing he accidentally made him cry, but before he can try to fix it, August whispers, “Thank you, Itaru… I'm glad you were the one to visit this place…” 

He smiles, as bright as the summer sun. Even through his tears, it's warm and comforting. 

Itaru reaches out, opens his mouth to say something—

But the light engulfs him, sweeping him away from the room.  


* * *

When Itaru opens his eyes, Chikage is leaning over his head, staring holes into him. Itaru squints at him, and Chikage sighs. “You were tossing in your sleep.” Chikage doesn't say anything more, but judging by how he's still just staring at Itaru, he must be waiting for Itaru to say something. 

“Was I?” Itaru croaks out, unable to think of anything else. A single nod. “Well, I was having a strange dream.” 

_ Though, I seriously doubt it was just a dream. _

“You sure were tossing a lot, though. Was it a nightmare?” When Itaru shakes his head, Chikage sighs again, finally pulling back. Itaru sits up in bed, grabbing his glasses and powering on his phone.  _ 7:23. _ What the heck, he could still be sleeping. 

Chikage climbs down the ladder from his bed, probably getting ready to wake up for the day. Itaru debates about just lying back down, but for some reason, he can't take his eyes off of Chikage. “Why were you watching me?” He blurts out impulsively, unable to help his curiosity. 

Chikage sends him an irritated glare. “If your roommate was tossing and turning in their sleep, you'd notice too, wouldn't you?” 

“But you could've just left me. Why were you just watching me?” 

Chikage is silent for a moment as if considering his response, which is odd. Usually he answers immediately. “… Because you looked so sad that I couldn't just leave you like that.” 

The answer is so soft that Itaru almost doesn't catch it, but when the words register in his brain, his eyes fly wide open. Just as he opens his mouth to ask Chikage if he's serious, Chikage turns on him with his signature smirk. Ah, he knows where this is going. “Just kidding. I was only watching you for a little while before you woke up, and it was just because I was wondering if you were going to fall right out of your bed. I didn't want to miss that.” 

“Ugh, yeah, yeah, I suspected nothing less from my unromantic senpai,” Itaru grumbles under his breath, throwing himself back down onto his pillow. He doubts he'll see August again if he closes his eyes, but he's also still really tired, so he wants to go back to sleep anyway. Chikage chuckles as he watches Itaru sulk. 

A usual smirk on his face. Him making fun of Itaru. Laughter. 

Itaru buries his face in his blanket, hiding the smile that threatens to break out on his face. 

As much as he refuses to admit it, he  _ does _ care about Chikage a lot. Seeing that he's happy today, too, makes him… 

Nope. He's not happy that Chikage's happy about messing with him. Nuh-uh. 

Before Chikage can leave for the bathroom, Itaru calls out to him softly. Surprisingly, Chikage sticks around, walking closer to Itaru's bed. “What is it?” He asks. 

Itaru hesitates. 

“… Are you happy right now?” 

Not just in the moment. Living here with them, being a part of their family—

“Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?” Chikage sighs. Before Itaru can think of an excuse, Chikage answers him. “Of course, I can't say I'm satisfied with all parts of my life, but yes, I'm happy right now. Is that good enough for you?” 

Chikage's voice is closer. He must have climbed up the ladder to stare at Itaru. He buries himself further in his blankets. 

“… Yeah, it is.” Itaru hopes Chikage doesn't notice how thick his voice is. No, Itaru's not emotional thinking about how significant it is that Chikage's able to admit that he's happy here. 

… Definitely not. 

“What a weirdo.” Even though Chikage sounds so exasperated with Itaru, he still reaches out and gently taps Itaru on the head. “Go back to sleep. You look tired.” Chikage moves to go back down the ladder, but before he can, Itaru's hand bursts out of the covers and grabs onto him blindly. He thinks he's holding onto his jacket's shoulder area. “What now?” Through the exasperation, there's a hint of kindness in his voice. 

Maybe Chikage cares about Itaru a little (just a little) more than he thought. 

Usually Itaru wouldn't ask someone else to comfort him. Normally he wouldn't latch onto someone else. But these aren't normal circumstances, and he just needs to know. 

“… Can you stay here until I fall asleep?” 

“What are you, a child?” 

Despite his complaint, Chikage leans onto Itaru's bed, patting the lump that is Itaru roughly. “Hurry up and go to sleep. I still have things to do.” 

_ But you're still staying with me. _

Itaru closes his eyes, relaxing. He's still holding onto Chikage's jacket, but his grip will loosen once he falls asleep. For now, he continues to hold onto him so that he knows he's there. 

August, Chikage, and Hisoka. All three will never be together in this world ever again. Because Itaru has lived with Chikage and Hisoka for so long, he can't help the sadness he feels at the thought. He knows they would be happier all together. 

But he also knows that Chikage and Hisoka are happy now. He knows that August just wants them to be happy. And if that's the case, rather than being sad about their past and feeling sorry for them, Itaru should do his best to act as normal, and to be happy with them in the present. 

He'll carry out August's request. He'll watch over those two. 

As his conscience is fading, he feels a hand brush through his hair. 

_ I'm glad I got to talk to August-san… _

He hums in content as he finally falls back to sleep. 

These warm days might not continue on forever—

But he'll treasure them in this moment. 


End file.
